


By the Light of the Neon Signs

by colisahotnorthernmess



Category: Wheeler Dealers RPF
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, Desert, First Time, Love Confessions, M/M, Mild Sexual Content, Motels, Sharing a Bed, Sharing a Room, Stranded
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-25
Updated: 2019-11-25
Packaged: 2021-01-08 02:46:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,790
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21228506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/colisahotnorthernmess/pseuds/colisahotnorthernmess
Summary: Two men and their car break down at night in the middle of the desert and have no choice but to shack up together in a nearby dodgy motel. Yes my friends - it's that fic. Given the fact that Mike and Edd moved out to California to work on the cars in the later series, this story was bound to be inevitable from me. And did I mention there was only one room left? And though there were two beds, it was so cold that they had to share one? Oh yes.In America, and Mike couldn't stress this enough - there are some places you really don't want to break down. But if you really must test drive a sixty-odd-year old car with multiple intermittent problems out here in the desert, you really do run the risk of being forever stranded in the sand dunes.If they were going to be stranded in any desertous landscape, could they not have picked Las Vegas or Reno?





	By the Light of the Neon Signs

**Author's Note:**

> Please note that this is a work of fiction involving real people written by myself - it is a completely made-up fantasy and is in no way intended to cause offence.

There weren't many downsides to living in California. Sure, sometimes - for a Brit - it was a little too hot, in the height of the day, but how often could you say that about England? How often could you say that about their workshop back home, where it was forever drizzling with rain outside and - inside - so cold you could see your own breath, and the tools felt like they were ice sculptures thawing out in your grasp as you spannered away? It could be absolutely ghastly in the UK, even in the bloody summertime.

Sometimes it was nice to feel the heat on your back as you worked on the cars, to wipe your sweaty brow with the palm of your hand, glare up at the flaming ball of fire in the sky and don your stylish, dark specs. Having said that, leather interiors whilst wearing shorts were a bit of a nightmare, and peeling yourself off of vintage vinyl was not a pleasant experience. Nor was handling bodywork and sizzling chrome so hot you could fry an egg on it - and he'd have his sunny side up if you were asking. But, all in all, it was a pretty damned good deal on a day-to-day basis, Mike had decided.

One drawback which he had not previously considered was this: America was a hell of a huge place. Now, this may sound obvious, but there was more to it than that. As the US is so very large, with vast expanses of nothingness, you find that places can be quite some distance from one another. And, by 'some distance', what is really meant is - this town will take you two days to walk to from here, and there isn't very much you can do about it. Three hundred prickly cactus plants down the road later, each of them slightly different in their shape and size, your trainers full of grit, and your neck stained red from the beating sun - and still no sign of being any nearer to civilisation.

Driving in overcrowded Britain, there's a petrol station practically every one-hundred yards, almost always a greasy caff around _every_ corner, and you would usually be no more than a twenty minute drive away from the next village, even in the most remote areas of the country. And, if you break down, the AA van will usually be out in the time it takes to drink a few cokes in a nearby pub. Job done. In America, and he couldn't stress this enough - there are some places you really _don't _ want to break down. But if you really _must_ test drive a sixty-odd-year old car with multiple intermittent problems out here in the desert, you really do run the risk of being forever stranded in the sand dunes.

If they were going to be stranded in any desertous landscape, could they not have picked Las Vegas or Reno? And not... well... _ whatever_ this place was? He hadn't caught its name. In their infinite wisdom, and thinking that the Bel Air was mostly sorted now, they'd given it a run at night - out into the lands of the wild west, to see the stars unspoilt by other lights; to admire the landscape as the sun went down. All Edd ended up admiring under the light of the stars - and, indeed, the light of his torch - was the engine - with Mike holding up the hood. It was unfixable by the roadside and recovery couldn't make it out until morning.

He supposed they'd been lucky to find this motel. It was run-down, trashy and in the middle of nowhere - and, yet, there had only been one room left. That was, partly, down to the fact that several others were being fumigated for cockroach infestation. At least there were two beds - but, with how cold it felt in the room - it was even colder in the room than it was outside, and he wasn't sure how that could be the case - they unsurprisingly ended up in the same bed. Edd wrapped his long limbs tightly around his co-host, clinging on to find any kind of warmth he could in the embrace, as he felt the older man vibrate in his grasp.

"Jesus," he shuddered, "Edd... mate... It's freezing. I should have slept in my clothes." And not just because it was cold - because the bedding felt like it might have been crawling with some kind of bugs. Too late now though for regret - the pair were in their boxer shorts because that's how they usually slept - they had been too tired from the walk to even think about anything other, having had to leave the Chevy a few miles away by the side of the road. Which was just as well, because the car park was full of vehicles. How _could_ it have been? Who even stays in a place like this, anyway? Taste is _very_ much a matter of personal opinion.

"I tried to close the window, but it was jammed," said China, defeatedly. He sighed, and the huff of his breath tickled the back of Brewer's neck, making him tremble ever so slightly more.

"I've got to tell you," Mike began, slowly, "...This feels _proper_ weird. It's like being spooned by a giant."

"Oh. Well, thank you very much, Sir. Such praise you lavish upon me," Edd snorted. "Would you rather me let you go?"

"Now I didn't say that," came a laugh. That was the last thing he wanted - compared with the empty sheets, Edd was as warm as toast. "I didn't say it felt 'orrible. I said it felt strange. But, it's kinda nice," he grabbed the mechanic's hand and pulled him even further round his body, until they were packed together in a tight hug, where no cold air could creep in-between. "I feel sorta... _safe_ ... and _protected_," he smiled, and - though China couldn't see it - the tall man could certainly sense it.

"Of _course_ you should feel safe and protected. You've got a 6'7" mate who'll go round and sort out anyone who picks on you," Edd chuckled.

"Hey," Mike suggested, "You could be my 6'7" _boyfriend _if this carries on, sunshine." There was shared laughter between them; there were shared blushes too, but - again - neither of them could see each other's reaction. Mike elbowed Edd in the ribs jokingly, with what little movement he had whilst trapped in this squeeze.

"I'm too knackered for all of that," the grey-haired man told him, his voice slightly pitchy - a tad nervous and audibly so. His face burned with the embarrassment of the conversation and something else _entirely _ surged through the lower half of his body; he squirmed against Brewer's backside, as he felt himself flooded with arousal. His cheeks flushed an even deeper pink and he didn't need the lights on or a mirror to realise this - he felt himself well and truly _reacting_, in every way, to his predicament.

Mike was staring out of the window - appreciating the way in which the shapes and colours, obscured by the thin fabric of the blinds, danced and flickered to a merry tune - the dull pinks and blues of the neon signs flashing away - only dull because they were muted by the curtain's dark and scarcely held-together material - but fizzing loudly, like a bug zapper catching countless flies - when his attention was suddenly captured by another source, and he could feel Edd's swelling - Edd's growing desire. He reached behind him and trailed fingers along the other man's leg, from just above his knee to his thigh, coming to rest there with digits gently grazing. China quickly turned away, still holding Brewer loosely, but keeping his distance.

"--It's okay," Mike was quick to point out. "There are some things you can't 'elp. It's not like I don't get that."

"Yeah?" Edd's voice was quiet.

"I can't 'elp it if my body has a natural reaction to the cold, for example," he explained, encouraging the presenter to once again hold him - to wrap his arms around him and come closer. "It makes me shiver," he told Edd, once again snuggling into all of the nooks of his caress. "And you can't 'elp it if _your_ body has a natural reaction to things - it's perfectly understandable, innit?" He felt the younger man writhe against him unintentionally and it almost made him lose his thread completely. "And my heart can't 'elp it if it's thumping so 'ard right now that it makes me feel sick..." he whispered, "Can it? Edd? ...Or did you already know that?"

He felt a kiss touch the top of his head, and felt a reactionary sigh expelled from behind of him. It said something like, 'Maybe I do know. How has it taken us so long to say it?' This was a strange situation alright, but they felt pretty content here and that was the most important thing - especially as they would be here until morning. In fact, they _would_ be here until morning, exactly in this position. Though as strange as it might have been, neither of them were sure that any of this was a surprise; honestly, it was more of a revelation - the end of a movie which both of them had seen coming from about half-way through.

Edd's eyes were drawn to the gap bridging the curtains, as the desert breeze from the open window blew the drapes in and out. He managed to tear his gaze away from cars zooming by - what seemed like oddly constant traffic in such a remote place - and saw the large motel sign looming over them, with it's bright neon bulbs, and the catchline 'The Best in Town - No Vacancies'. It was probably the _only_ motel in town, if the owners were honest - so, inevitably, it was the best. But, ironically, given everything which had happened tonight, this dive had become the best place he had stayed in for a long time.

However, it was the latter part of the sign's phrase which grabbed him. _No Vacancies._ They had merely been inches away from missing out on a bed for the night. China had thought at the time how they had been lucky to find this place, even if Brewer hadn't initially agreed - but now they knew they'd been lucky to find something else, _also_, rather special: something never admitted between the pair of them before. And something you most certainly couldn't have won in Las Vegas - be it from gambling on the slot machines or spinning the roulette tables. This love here must have been the _jackpot_, he pondered to himself. Now if only he could fix that blasted Chevy, and get the pair of them back to where they belonged.


End file.
